mtl008 Chapter 443 Buying a House in Beijing
Chapter 443 Buying a House in Beijing
The emperor hinted that with Qiao Jian'er's current level, she was not qualified to be granted an inscription for a large mansion, and asked her to use the reward to buy a house for him.
The Pei brothers were waiting outside the palace gate.
Everyone was relieved to see Qiao Jian'er come out safely. After all, it was Miss Jian'er's first time to enter the palace to meet the emperor. Although the etiquette and rules were explained in detail, it might not be possible to follow them thoroughly. If there was anything inappropriate that made the emperor unhappy, there would be more unknowns.
Looking at Qiao Jianer's serious yet calm demeanor, it was clear that everything was going smoothly.
When they heard that the recruitment of soldiers would be increased from 3,000 to 5,000, both brothers were delighted. This was great news. The emperor had never set such a precedent for a county lady in history, which showed that he approved of Miss Qiao very much.
The carriage slowly left the palace gate. Qiao Jianer said, "Let's buy a house today as my home, and then go take a look at the fiefdom tomorrow."
Pei Shijiu said, "If you want to stay, you can just stay at the Pei Mansion. Why go through all the trouble and waste money?"
Qiao Jian'er shook her head: "I have a fiefdom in the capital. To manage the army, I need to make long-term plans. It's naturally not possible to stay in Pei Mansion forever."
"That's right." Pei Zhujin said, "We are familiar with the capital, so let's go and help Miss Qiao choose a house."
Pei Shijiu wanted to say something, but was stopped by Pei Zhujin's look.
My younger brother is still young and doesn’t know that keeping a girl at home for a long time may damage her reputation.
Especially in a place like the capital, the Pei family is a noble family, and Qiao Jianer is a county lady who is rarely given a title, so they are likely to attract attention.
Fortunately, this time, the three siblings of the Qiao family came, so things were easier to talk to.
In order to facilitate the communication, he naturally chose a house not far from the Pei family, and no more than two streets away.
Finally, he found a medium-sized courtyard house with three entrances. When he asked about the price, Qiao Jianer was shocked.
It actually costs fifty thousand taels.
The total assets of the Qiao family were only a little over 30,000 taels.
Fifty thousand taels converted into modern currency is equivalent to fifty million, which is indeed in line with the housing price positioning of a good location in Beijing. However, housing prices are soaring nowadays, and even if the price is increased tenfold, it may not be affordable.
Qiao Lian'er calculated again that the rewards from the royal family and local governments, including this time's, totaled to just over 10,000 taels. Even added together, it was still not enough.
Moreover, even if it was barely enough, she couldn't spend all her money to buy a house where she couldn't guarantee permanent residence.
This house is on the main street and is confiscated property. The owner was originally an official. He committed a crime and his house was confiscated. The property was taken back by the Ministry of Households and then sold.
If you don't buy it soon, it will be sold out in two days at most. After all, it is the dream of many people to be able to buy a house in the capital, especially one facing the street.
"Little girl, don't you have enough money?" Pei Shijiu said, "The Pei Mansion will lend it to you. You can pay it back whenever you want."
It doesn’t matter if you don’t pay it back. What matters most is that you can help the little girl.
Moreover, with a house, the little girl can stay in the capital longer.
"I don't want to lend money." Qiao Jianer said.
Because borrowing money is not a matter for one person, it involves a family of more than a dozen people. If you encounter any risks and cannot repay the money, it will be a disaster.
Although she is confident about the future, she still has to leave some room for any eventuality, which is a respect for fate.
For her, who is doing well now, she will earn ten or twenty thousand sooner or later, but when people are in trouble, they can't even hope for one or two taels of silver.
Pei Zhujin: "The Pei family will return the ten thousand taels that Miss Qiao sent back to you last time, no matter what. Isn't that enough?"
"It's not enough. Let's look at a smaller house. We don't live here all the time." At most, a few people from the Qiao family will come at a time, and the small house is more than enough.
"Then we'll have to go out and look for one in the streets," Pei Zhujin said. "The houses facing the street are all owned by wealthy families or businessmen. Even houses two blocks away are not cheap. Since Miss Qiao won't be living here long, there's no need to waste money like this."
"Okay, there is a Changpingfang behind the main street. Most of the houses there are bought by ordinary officials and rich people. Many of them are well planned. Miss Qiao can also pick a good house if she goes there to buy one." Pei Shijiu said.
Miss Qiao didn't have enough money on her and was unwilling to lend her money, so she had no choice but to settle for this second best option.
"When you become a princess, the house the emperor will reward you with will be a big house facing the street." Pei Shijiu raised his eyebrows encouragingly to Qiao Jianer.
Having just learned about the prices of houses in the capital, Qiao Jianer now has an intuitive understanding of the value of street-facing houses.
A medium-sized courtyard with three entrances would cost fifty thousand taels, while a truly large one would cost at least one hundred thousand taels. The price of one with a garden, pond, and multiple pavilions and terraces is even more inestimable.
Fortunately, the houses in the neighborhood are not too expensive, at least compared with those on the street, they are acceptable.
In a block, the sizes of the houses are planned, and they are all ordinary three-courtyard houses, with an area half the size of the quadrangle we just saw. The price range is between three thousand taels and six thousand taels. The reason for such a big difference is that it is affected by the distance from the street and the internal layout planning.
Every residential area in the capital is very large, and there are several houses for sale. Qiao Lianer picked one that is close to the main street and the price is five thousand taels.
It only takes a quarter of an hour to get from House No. 12 to the main street by carriage. The roads between the residential areas in the capital are wide, making it convenient for carriages to pass through.
She happily paid the silver note and got the house deed, title deed and keys.
Qiao Jianer felt it was a little unreal that she owned a house in the capital so soon.
After a busy day, it is already dusk.
When I got back to Pei Mansion, I was just in time for a hot dinner.
"Little girl, the house has been bought, but you don't have to move in yet. I'll have someone tidy it up for you in a while." Pei Shijiu said.
"What else needs to be renovated?" Qiao Lian'er had a good impression of this house. It was sold by a wealthy businessman who had fallen on hard times and urgently needed to sell his property. The house was very tidy, with pots, pans, and bed frames all there. Other furniture like cabinets and dressing tables were also given to the buyer. All he needed to do was buy some new bedding and he could move in.
"The yard is empty, so it needs to be decorated. Plant some flowers and plants, and antiques, calligraphy and paintings need to be placed in the corresponding places in the house. Otherwise, it will be so boring. Also, I need to build a small pond for you, raise fish and lotus flowers, and put up some rockery - in short, there are so many things to do." Pei Shijiu patted his chest.
"Leave it to me, little girl."
"But these will probably incur a lot of expenses." Qiao Jian'er already felt that he was a bother, and he would always feel guilty if he took so many benefits from others.
"There's no need to spend money. Everything is ready. The Pei Mansion has recently acquired a lot of exotic flowers and trees. The garden seems too crowded, so I'll just move some of them out and dig a small pond. Some of it was done by hand, so it won't cost a penny."
Qiao Jianer was silent after hearing this. This is the power of a big family.
"Miss Qiao, I can't sit still, so just let him do it." Pei Zhujin said with a smile.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Second Young Master."
Pei Shijiu was secretly delighted. Well, the longer the preparation period, the longer the little girl would stay in the Pei family.
He knew that even if he lived closer in the future, he would hardly have the opportunity to spend such a long time together in Pei Mansion.